'Fitting In' at Fashion on Display
Dismantling gender through wardrobe study
Devon Khusuma is an Indonesian visual artist who focuses his practice in photography, videography and book design. His introduction to the creative industry began when he was enrolled in the BA (Hons) Fashion Media and Industries programme at LASALLE College of the Arts. Influenced by aspects of his everyday experiences and emotions, his image-making practice often takes on an autobiographical approach.
His final-year submission at LASALLE, titled ‘Fitting In’, started as a project that explores Devon’s personal relationship with his clothing. Initially taking the form of a photo publication, the project garnered the attention of fashion curator Weiqi Yap and is currently being exhibited at Fashion on Display, an independent fashion curation studio and experimental fashion gallery based in Singapore.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ is a wardrobe study that seeks to understand how the people in Devon’s life have played different roles in enforcing or dismantling gender norms. Growing up in a conservative Indonesian household, his wardrobe reflects the evolution of his experiences with clothing and gender. By documenting his collection of clothing, the project provides an intimate perspective on how clothing serves as an expression of masculinity, femininity, and the in-between as a part of Devon’s identity.
In this conversation, Devon speaks to us about the behind-the-scenes process of assembling ‘Fitting In’ and how the project traces his relationship with gender essentialism.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
To start, could you tell us about yourself, and what led you to this project?
My name is Dominikus Devon Kusuma. I am an artist working primarily with photography and books. My practice tends to take on an autobiographical approach, and come from my reactions to experiences and emotions before they turn into full-fledged projects. Although ‘Fitting In’ was a submission for my final-year project, it started as a way to understand my own relationship with my clothes and the people around me. I was partially motivated by a recent trip back home to Indonesia and the pressure I felt on my identity when I was there.
A picture of Devon’s bedroom walls that he took during his trip back to Indonesia, 2021. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
‘Fitting In’ was initially developed as a publication for your final year submission at LASALLE College of the Arts. How did the opportunity to exhibit at Fashion on Display with Weiqi Yap come about? And how did you translate it from a publication into an exhibition space?
I met Weiqi about a year before while working on a past project and ‘Fitting In’ came to her attention through a mutual friend of ours, my classmate Ethan Lai. After the project was published and shown at the LASALLE Show, Weiqi reached out and invited me to exhibit at Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ showcase at the LASALLE Show, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
The project’s original form as a photo publication, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
Translating the project into an exhibition was not hard at all. Although I submitted my work as a publication, the layout was derived from the original mood board that was pasted on the windows at our studio at LASALLE, which my friends and I dubbed “the wall”. This exhibition is actually a better outcome as it gives the project the space it needs while being faithful to the original concept. You will find subtle nods to “the wall” throughout the project, from the choice of paper to the lighting and layout, and even the captions.
Early mood boards of ‘Fitting In’, displayed on the wall of LASALLE’s studio classroom, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
A closeup of the mood boards, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
Please take us through your exhibition. How many objects did you photograph for ‘Fitting In’? What does each particular chapter represent and how did the sequence of the images play a part in delivering the narrative that you want to convey?
In total, I photographed 160 objects, and they are special because at some point, I brought them with me to Singapore. They were initially categorised based on their materials, so things such as colours, prints, and genders come into play. Naturally, this method also created a rough chronological timeline of my style from 2017— which was when I first started shopping for my own clothes— all the way to the day the project was created. Eventually, it became a story of self-discovery and negotiation. I tried not to set specific boundaries between the chapters. If you read through the anecdotes, you can find certain themes that overlap with another from a different chapter.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
As a trained photographer, how did your background aid you in executing the technical aspects of the images? What type of camera did you use to shoot the photographs and is there any specific technique that you applied?
The photographs of the garments themselves were not anything groundbreaking. They were shot with my digital camera against the classroom wall with whatever lighting gear I had access to. Overall, it was a very improvised setup.
What helped me most as a photographer is the archive of images I had shot over the past five years. I started collecting film cameras right around 2017. I would take my camera with me almost every day in high school, I was able to test their functions, and while doing so, I also documented my life. In total, there were seven different cameras and maybe six different film stocks, so the photos vary quite a bit.
Behind-the-scenes process of documenting the clothing at LASALLE’s classroom, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
The camera setup that Devon used for 'Fitting In', 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
What were the biggest challenges that you faced during the process of completing the project, and how did you solve them? Also, were there any parts that turned out differently from what you originally envisioned?
I spent weeks trying to figure out different ways to convey the narrative. As part of my practice, I initially wanted to make a book, or even several books. A book is inherently linear; there’s a beginning and an end, and they’re separated by pages. It’s a different feeling when you look at all the images together, like data. That was the feeling I had when I started pasting the images on the classroom’s window.
The first test shoot for ‘Fitting In’ before switching to another direction, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
Behind-the-scene image of Devon assembling the mood boards taken at LASALLE’s studio classroom, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
Let’s move on to talk about how you navigate your identity through clothing. In what ways has clothing played an important role in the process of shaping your personal identity? Who influences the way you dress?
Clothing has given me a platform to express whatever identity I want. It is hard to believe that a simple jacket could change someone’s personality, but that’s just how it is. I get to choose who I want to be simply by choosing what to wear.
What I choose to wear is often influenced by how I want to portray myself to different people. There are things I would only wear if I were meeting friends that I am comfortable with and there are other pieces that I cannot imagine wearing in front of my parents back in Indonesia. I actually just noticed as I was doing the project that I still avoid dressing femininely when I go out with my girlfriend. I guess I am scared of what strangers think about us too.
“Clothing has given me a platform to express whatever identity I want. It is hard to believe that a simple jacket could change someone’s personality, but that’s just how it is. I get to choose who I want to be simply by choosing what to wear.”
A black pleated skirt that is a part of Devon’s wardrobe, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
A skirt and a lace belt that Devon kept in a box in his wardrobe during his trip to Indonesia, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma.
I understand that you engage in genderless dressing. Some Southeast Asian countries still view this as taboo, including your home country of Indonesia. What do you think are the most common misconceptions about genderless dressing? And what is the significance to you as an Indonesian in exploring topics of gender fluidity in the context of Southeast Asia?
I think people from both sides of the argument need to understand that the norms and values that we were taught growing up surrounding gender essentialism won’t be dismantled overnight. The project acknowledges these decades-old values and my wardrobe is the result of the negotiation as I try to leave them behind without disrespecting those who adhere to them. It is a compromise I’m willing to accept as an Indonesian.
I want people to see this is how I dress and this is how I express myself as a person. I am not asking them to accept it, but I want them to rethink their own stance on clothing and gender, rather than blatantly following the values they learn growing up. I want them to be more aware of how they choose to dress, and how other people around them might choose differently.
You created a zine that documents the behind-the-scenes process of assembling ‘Fitting In’ which can be purchased at the exhibition. How will the zine help the readers in gaining a deeper understanding of both the project and exhibition?
The exhibition is the outcome of the project, but the project itself is a journey of self-discovery for me. The zine allows me to share some of the emotional dilemmas I faced from conducting an autobiographical study. It also discussed the influences of my practice as a photographer and bookbinder towards the form of the project. There are many nuances of the project’s art direction that I get to share more in the zine.
‘Fitting In’ zine, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ zine, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
With the exhibition running halfway through its course, how was the visitors’ response so far?
The visitors were a different crowd from what I am used to. Most people who have seen the project come from a fashion background since after all, I studied in a fashion school. It was great to have conversations with people from various fields and see their responses to the project. Everyone seemed to be interested in different aspects of it.
I would like to know what you hope to achieve with this wardrobe study. What kind of impact do you hope it will generate and what message would you like to convey?
I don’t expect the project to go so far as it has already served its purposes for me, which are discovering more about myself and sharing who I really am with my parents. I simply hope that the project can become a stepping stone for other people to be more aware of clothing and identity, regardless of what they think about gender.
“I don’t expect the project to go so far as it has already served its purposes for me, which are discovering more about myself and sharing who I really am with my parents. I simply hope that the project can become a stepping stone for other people to be more aware of clothing and identity, regardless of what they think about gender.”
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
‘Fitting In’ at Fashion on Display, 2022. Image courtesy of Devon Khusuma and Fashion on Display.
To close off the interview, could you share with us your future plans that you have in store for ‘Fitting In’? Where do you see this project going, and for your own career as well?
I will keep everything in a box and put it away for maybe five years. After my life and the circumstances around me have changed, I plan to continue the project. I guess you can look at it as a periodic census of my wardrobe now.
As for my career, I will be returning to Indonesia and I plan to open a small-scale publishing studio specialising in handmade books and zines in addition to my own photography practice. I am not sure whether I will still be working in fashion in the long term. In the zine, I mentioned that I just happen to be at a point in life where clothing interests me, but I will do it as long as I feel like it.
Visit ’Fitting In’ from 19 November to 4 December 2022 at Fashion on Display, 04-04D Heng Loong Building. The zine can be purchased at the exhibition or through @fashionondisplay.
Join Devon and Weiqi for a conversation and sharing on the behind-the-scenes process of ‘Fitting In’ this Saturday 3 December, 3pm to 4pm at Fashion on Display. Admission is free, and you can register here. More information on the exhibition here.